"Linux has made major inroads on servers and in data centers running both open-source and proprietary applications on millions of computers worldwide. We've recently seen the rise of Linux on mobile devices. But the Linux desktop remains elusive. We know it's out there, but it only now seems to be approaching the tipping point."

I'm sorry, but I am getting so sick of these type of articles. Every time January rolls around for the last 5 years, there are always a string of articles speculating if this is truely the year of the Linux Desktop.

There are several problems with this.

1) If Linux does truely gain a serious desktop presence it will probably happen over the length of several years. This "year of the linux desktop" is a mythical being that does not exist.

2) Even if Linux does gain a serious presence there isn't really an effective way to measure this. It's not like the major consumer computer dealers ship OEM installations of Linux that you can use as a source for your numbers.

3) These articles seem to be written by non-linux users for the sake of having something to write about. They make claims that are based on opinion of just plain wrong:

the user interface is still immature compared to Mac OS or Windows.

Bull. Testing to see if they function according to the same presumptions is a poor measure of maturity.

One of the biggest desktop Linux inconveniences is the lack of support for existing proprietary applications from big vendors such as Adobe, Autodesk and Intuit.

What a dumbass. Linux supports these vendors just as well as any other platform. It is the venders who don't offer support Linux. And they probably have good business based reasons for not doing so.

The same can be said for the lack of drivers for plug-and-play functionality related to Wi-Fi, PDAs and digital cameras.

So incorrect it's not even funny. Sure there is hardware that doesn't have support from linux, but digital cameras?? Apparently this writer doesn't understand what a standard "USB mass storage device" is.

I guess I'm sick of these articles because the writers try to evaluate the value of Linux based on some gross generalizations, poor information, and incorrect assumptions. The truth is that if a user finds that Linux fills his or her needs, or the needs of their company then they will use it. Linux developers will develope what features they or their company needs. They scratch where they itch. End of story.

I use Linux because I like it. Not because it's the "Year of the Linux Desktop".

2.) Netcraft. Realistically, most people are online these days. Those who aren't are a statistical anomoly.
3.) Definitely. This guy has no clue what he's talking about:
Adobe: Gimp
Intuit: Moneydance, there's another one but its name always eludes me; it's a bigger one. GNUCash of course . Most people I've talked to who used Quicken now hate Intuit with every fiber of their being.
Autodesk: Pro-E

He could name better things like iTMS and other music stores. Even desktop search would be harder to argue with!

"guess I'm sick of these articles because the writers try to evaluate the value of Linux based on some gross generalizations, poor information, and incorrect assumptions."

Absolutely. These days I regret not having become a journalist, more specifically a "tech writer" because apparently you can throw together any nonsensical article and still get it published if not in an actual print magazine than for sure online. It's the same old stuff every time, and it doesn't matter what the topic is. Most of these writers don't know what the hell they're talking about.